MAC Brush Cleaner vs DIY!

It's really important to clean your makeup brushes regularly, and if you don't, you really need to start! Bacteria builds up on the brushes after every use, so imagine how much bacteria and oil you're putting on your face if you haven't washed them for weeks! Washing your makeup brushes can help keep away spots and blackheads, making your skin look even better when you apply your makeup, and helps prolong the life of your brushes, which is a good thing as they can be pricey!!

The first makeup brush cleanser I ever tried was MAC's Brush Cleanser: http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/135/307/Products/Kit-Essentials/Tools/Brush-Cleanser/index.tmpl it retails for £10 which is expensive for some pink liquid in a bottle, and if you wash your brushes as regularly as you're supposed to, it goes very quickly.  It does do its job, there is no dispute about that, but there is a much cheaper option out there that does the job just as well!

Here are my makeup brushes, ready for a good scrub!

The alternative to the MAC cleanser that I'm going to show you is simply antibacterial soap and baby shampoo, both of which can be found in your local supermarket for a fraction of the price MAC's cleaner! As you can see the shampoo and antibacterial soap are both half empty, but I've been using them for a good few months so they will last you a long time!

Let's compare how well each cleanser does it's job: 

I cleaned this brush using the MAC cleanser. As you can see, before I washed it it was gross and full of makeup.  Afterwards it looks like new again! 

Now I'll show you how to make the brush cleaner using the antibacterial soap and baby shampoo, it's super easy: 

Simply put a squirt of each into a dish and swirl your brush into it before lathering in water and rinsing out.

Here's a brush I washed in the DIY cleaner.  As you can see it has removed all of the makeup and hasn't left any stains on the bristles it looks brand new! 

I washed a duo fibre brush with the DIY cleanser to show you must how white and clean it makes your brushes.  The tip of the brush is blending in with the white tiles! 

The antibacterial soap will kill all the bacteria that has built up on your brush, and the baby shampoo will make them nice and soft, so it's the perfect combination! 

Here's all my brushes nice and clean :) 

I hope you found this review helpful! 

Thanks for reading!

Aislinn x

Step By Step Contouring Pictorial

I thought I would give a step by step tutorial on how to contour using affordable drugstore products. Contouring requires a lot of makeup on your face, so I would only recommend you do this for special occasions rather than everyday, but it does give your face that extra bit of dimension and definition, so I usually just contour with powders for everyday and use liquid products if I'm going somewhere extra special or getting my picture taken.

STEP 1: 

Using my Loreal True Match Foundation in Vanilla and a Beauty Blender sponge I apply my foundation all over my face.

STEP 2:

Using the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer I highlight under my eyes and hide any dark circles.

STEP 3:

Using Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in the shade Cafu 30 I draw the contour lines below my cheekbones, down the sides of my nose, along my jaw and chin and on my temples.

STEP 4:

Using Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory, I highlight the centre of my forehead, along my nose, my Cupid's bow, my chin, and under the contour lines on my cheeks.

STEP 5:

I blend in all of the highlight using a Beauty Blender.

STEP 6:

I blend all of the contour lines using a MAC 188 duo fibre brush and circular motions.

STEP 6:

I use Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Silky Beige and a Real Techniques Buffing Brush to blend everything together even more.

STEP 7:

Using Rimmel Natural Matte Bronzer and a Real Techniques Contour Brush I go back along the contour lines.  This is usually what I do for my everyday contouring makeup routine.

Finally I fill in my brows, apply eyeshadow, eyeliner, ,mascara, blush and gloss to complete the look:

PRODUCT LIST:

Loreal True Match Foundation http://www.superdrug.com/loreal/true-match-liquid-foundation-vanilla/invt/293155&bklist=

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer http://www.superdrug.com/face-make-up/maybelline-eraser-eye-concealer-light/invt/654050&bklist=

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer http://www.superdrug.com/maybelline/maybelline-fit-me-concealer-cafu-30/invt/498754&bklist=

Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer http://www.superdrug.com/maybelline/maybelline-ny-dream-touch-concealer-ivory-1/invt/249970&bklist=

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder http://www.superdrug.com/rimmel-london/rimmel-stay-matte-pressed-powder-silky-beige-5/invt/592552&bklist=

Rimmel Natural Bronzer http://www.superdrug.com/rimmel-london/rimmel-natural-bronzing-powder-sun-bronze-22/invt/605816&bklist=

Real Techniques Brushes http://www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk/prod/samantha-chapman-real-techniques-core-collection

Beauty Blender http://www.beautyblender.co.uk/product/beautyblender_classic/

MAC 188 Brush http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/146/1391/Products/Brushes/Face/188-Small-Duo-Fibre-Face-Brush/index.tmpl

I hope you found this helpful! 

Thanks for reading

Aislinn x

Barry M Glossy Tubes Lip Gloss

There is a huge Boots store near my university that is very dangerous for me to go into because every time I do I end up spending a fortune on new makeup products! Today I went in to get some concealers for contouring which I'm going to try out and hopefully do a review/tutorial on sometime soon, but I also ended up with yet another mascara and....a Barry M Glossy Tube.

I bought one of these when I was a lot younger and didn't wear much makeup and I lost it, so when I walked past the Barry M display they caught my eye.  I picked this one up because it was pink and sparkly and it looked pretty (this was very much an impulse buy if you hadn't already realised hahaha) and I really really like it! 

I mostly wear my MAC lip glasses which I love but they're quite expensive, and this Glossy Tube was really reasonably priced at only £3.99. It's not as sticky as the lip glasses from MAC which means it isn't as long lasting but for the price that doesn't bother me.

I got the colour "Iridescent Violet Glitter" which isn't very imaginative, but the colour is lovely:

It's a pink gloss with tiny bits of purpley/pink shimmer in when it catches the light and it's a really fun girly colour that I can see myself wearing a lot! 

If you look closely at the picture above you can see the purpley glitter in it.  I haven't yet mentioned the best part though....IT SMELLS LIKE BUBBLEGUM!! It smells so good! 

This is a great, cheap lip gloss that looks good and smells even better, and there a quite a few different shades to choose from.  I really recommend you try them.  They're available at Boots and Superdrug and also on the Barry M website:

http://www.barrym.com/products/lips/gloss/glossy-tubes.html

I hope you found this review helpful

Thanks for reading 

Aislinn x

Benefit Porefessional vs Maybelline Baby Skin

Maybelline recently launched their pore reducing primer Baby Skin.  I am a big fan of the Baby Lips lip balms so I was intrigued by the primer, and when I saw how much cheaper it was than the Porefessional primer from Benefit I just had to see how the two compare to one another.

The Baby Skin has a cute minty green packaging, and it does look quite similar to the Baby Lips balms.

In the image below, I have put the Baby Skin primer on the right side of my face only, so you can see what effect it has on reducing pores and smoothing the skin. I have also put some of the primer on my finger tip so you can see what the consistency is like:

Please excuse my gross spotty face! As you can see the consistency is very gel like.  When I put it on my skin, it feels quite thick at first which I wasn't too pleased about, but when I rubbed it in it did feel more lightweight and smooth.  I wouldn't say it made a dramatic effect on the visibility of my pores and smoothness of my skin, but it did feel like my face was primed and ready for makeup.

The Benefit Porefessional has a cute vintage style packaging: 

As I did with the Baby Skin, I have put an image below where only the right side of my face has the Porefessional primer on, and there is a swatch of the product so you are able to compare the consistency: 

I prefer the consistency of this primer much more than the baby skin.  It feels light and smooth straightaway when you apply it to your face, and I think it does do a better job at reducing the visibility of my pores.  When I apply this primer, my makeup stays intact much longer than if I didn't wear it, whereas the Baby Skin doesn't make much of a difference on the longevity of my face makeup.

Both primers do their job, but I have to say that the Benefit Porefessional does it better.  Due to the price of it however, I reserve it for special occasions, and use the Maybelline Baby Skin as an everyday primer to smooth out my complexion before I apply my makeup.

The Benefit Porefessional retails for around £25 for 22ml and you can get it here: 

http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/the-porefessional

The Maybelline Baby Skin retails for £7.99 and you can get it here: 

http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-New-York-Baby-Skin-Instant-Pore-Eraser-Lightweight-Primer_1416202/

I hope you found this review/comparison helpful

Thank you for reading!

Aislinn x

Maybelline New York- The Eraser Eye Concealer

I recently purchased this concealer after hearing good things about it from several YouTube beauty gurus.

I got mine at Boots and it cost £7.99. It is an under eye concealer and it works brilliantly!!

There are two shades available: Light and Nude. I got Light and it's a great colour for my skin tone. The little sponge applicator is great too.

To apply this concealer I find it best to use the sponge applicator to place the product directly onto the under eye area, then blend it out.  I use a Beauty Blender but you could use any makeup sponge or concealer brush. 

The best way to apply this concealer is in a triangle shape like this:

Here is a before and after picture of the concealer application:

The top picture is with no product and the bottom picture shows the coverage of the concealer.  As you can see it covers any redness and dark patches under the eye and brightens the eye area up really nicely. In these pictures I have no other makeup on, but the concealer performs brilliantly when applied over foundation too! 

Pros:

Brilliant coverage

Removes redness and dark circles

Very bendable 

Doesn't crease! 

Cons:

It is a very small product for the price and I find I'm using it up quite quickly. However I will definitely be repurchasing it as it works so well! 

You can buy this concealer at any Boots or Superdrug, and online here:

http://www.superdrug.com/face-make-up/maybelline-eraser-eye-concealer-light/invt/654050&bklist=

I hope this review was helpful.

Thanks for reading!

Aislinn x

BH Cosmetics Professional Blush Palette

I recently got the BH Cosmetics 10 colour Professional Blush Palette and I have to say I'm really pleased with it. I hadn't used any BH Cosmetics products before, so was unsure what the quality would be like, but I wasn't disappointed.

Pros:

It's great for travelling as there are 10 different blushes in one palette which saves carrying separate bulky products. 

The colours are well pigmented and buildable, so they can be applied lightly or more heavily depending on the look you're going for. 

Cons:

Although there are 10 different shades in the palette, some of them look very similar to each other.

The colours don't have names or numbers to distinguish between them, which makes them hard to describe to clients/in tutorials.

Most of the shades would be unlikely to show up on dark skin tones :( 

In the photo I have numbered the different shades to make it easier to describe them.

1.  This is the only shimmer blush in the palette and it is quite a light peachy colour so would be good to use as a highlight colour.

2.  A warm matte terracotta shade- looks lovely with a brown smoky eye.

3.  Matte pink/peach- good dupe for MAC's "Melba" which is one of my favourite blushes. 

4.  Matte dark pink 

5.  Pink/lilac matte shade- perfect Barbie pink cheek! 

6.  Really beautiful matte coral/orange- would look lovely in summer. 

7.  Very light matte peach colour, would be great for a "no makeup look"

8.  Matte pink/peach- a darker version of 3, in the above picture I am wearing 3 and 8 mixed together.

9.  Matte brown- looks really good mixed with number 5 (trust me!) 

10.  Perfect mid-pink shade, very versatile. 

If you're looking to experiment with different blushes, or you're new to using makeup, then this palette is perfect for you! I really love it and use it most days. You can order it on amazon here: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/10-Piece-Professional-Blush-Palette/dp/B003QAPTAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391021032&sr=8-1&keywords=bh+cosmetics

It is only £12.95 on amazon!!! 

US customers can get it here: 

http://www.bhcosmetics.com/products/face/10-Color-Professional-Blush-Palette

Thanks for reading 

Aislinn

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Urban Decay Naked 3

In the uk there are hardly any Urban Decay counters and after Christmas all of the ones in my area had sold out of the Naked 3!! So I ordered mine on Beautybay.com but unfortunately they don't seem to be stocking them there anymore. I was so excited when it arrived!! 

Instagram: @aislinn9221

I already have the original Naked and Naked 2, both of which I love and use constantly so I just had to get this one and I'm so glad I did! I have to say it's possibly my favourite palette of the three! Here's what it looks like inside: 

It comes with a lovely double ended brush and the colours are just gorgeous. The packaging is a rose gold tin (like the Naked 2) as you can see in the top picture, and the shadows inside are all of a rose/gold hue and are very romantic and versatile.  I swatched the colours for you to see: 

Colours from top to bottom: 

Blackheart: great for darkening the outside corner of the eye

Darkside: brilliant for darkening the crease

Mugshot: brown/gold shimmer, really beautiful

Factory: mid brown/gold shimmer, great for brown smoky eye

Liar: pink/brown shimmer, absolutely gorgeous

Nooner: fabulous crease colour

Trick: really beautiful orange/gold shimmer

Buzz: dark pink shimmer

Limit: great for blending above the crease- transition colour

Burnout: really nice light pink shimmer

Dust: amazing light pink glitter shimmer, great for adding a bit of sparkle

Strange: brilliant matte cream highlight 

I've been having so much fun playing with this palette and creating different looks and I hope you will give it a try. Urban Decay is my favourite makeup brand and I am in love with their palettes and shadows and I hope I have inspired you to give them a try! 

The Naked 3 can be purchased at any Urban Decay counter provided they're in stock or you could try: 

http://www.debenhams.com/beauty/urban-decay

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Urban+Decay/BRAND_URBAN%20DECAY,default,sc.html

Thank you for reading!

Aislinn

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